Tellez Tells All

On the rise YouTube user, TellezTelevision sat down to give us an exclusive interview telling all about how her creative process works! Turns out this creative genius is fueled by Vitamin Water and the happenings of her everyday life. From covers of popular songs to originals written by her, the videos you will find on her YouTube channel are creative and professional to say the least! While she is in the early stages of her career we here at Toast Pop can already see that she’s going places fast! Whether she’s tweeting her fans or replying to comments, you will find that she not only appreciates the support, but turns it into the driving force behind her work. Go ahead and check out the exclusive interview with Tellez only available on Toast Pop!

CLICK TO WATCH THE INTERVIEW!

 

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Karmin Crash Your Party

It’s always great to see talented people get recognition, and that is why it is so great to see the online YouTube sensation, Karmin, finally get the credit that they deserve. This duo began showing off their musical talents through YouTube videos, and their obvious musical gifts were easily recognized and they now boast a hit single, Crash Your Party, which is available on iTunes, as well as a fast paced music video to accompany the song.

Nick an Amy are the two that make the music possible. Their single has even been featured recently on Amazon as the hit song of the day. They met each other while attending college and began writing music together and collaborating, and well, the rest is history! Most of their early music that they showed off online were covers of popular pop songs. With a huge fan base that is ever growing and a promising career in the music industry, you are sure to hear a lot more from Karmin in the near future.

Taylor Swift Is Ours

If there is one person who knows how to make an impression, that person would be Taylor Swift. After coming out with her latest album everyone suspected that we wouldn’t hear anything else from her with the exception of a few singles here and there and television and concert appearances. We know another album is inevitable, but that would take some time, especially with Taylor, she puts her heart and soul into her meaningful lyrics. She recently surprised everyone with a few singles that are amazing and possibly better than a few on the actual album! One song in particular deserves recognition, that song is “Ours”.

In the song “Ours”, Taylor gives the listener a simple tune, that is quite possibly the most catchy thing we’ve listened to in weeks, and sings some lyrics with meaning that no doubt relates to her life somehow but can be transfered to the lives of the listeners. Taylor has showed us before how relatable she is, and this song is no exception. While the color of her dress is all that changed about the album cover for these few new singles that are now out, and no doubt topping charts somewhere right now, but the mood is slightly different in these new singles than that of the album. These songs show a much lighter side of the music that was only shown in small bits on the album. The published single is a more upbeat song compared to when she performed it at the CMA’s. We have both the CMA version and the new refined version here for you to listen to! Which do you prefer? We liked the new version better.

Regardless of a poor choice in album cover, we would’ve loved to see some brand new album covers featuring Taylor and possibly settings that relate to each single, we still love her new songs, especially “Ours”. It gets an easy 10 out of 10 here at Toast Pop! Have a listen for yourself!

Ellie Goulding’s Lights Interactive Game

If you have ever heard Ellie Goulding, you will automatically recognize her unique voice in her single ‘Lights’. Like her other songs, ‘Lights’ gives you a light, upbeat feeling. However, unlike her other songs, there is an interactive game to go along with the single. To go along with the free, bubbly feeling that comes with her song ‘Lights’ is a small game. It begins with the introduction, where the background is fading in, only black and white.

When her voice comes in, a light, similar to a shooting star appears. The longer you hold down your mouse, the faster the light travels. Moving your mouse also directs the light. When the chorus kicks in, the world of black and white turns to different colors. All along, the circles in the background bounce to the beat.

There is also a part when twitter usernames show up in the background. On the bottom ofthe loading page, there is an option to tweet about the site, and have your own show up in the interactive colorful world of ‘Lights’. After the first chorus, strips of color line along with the circles, leaving you in a world that’s even more colorful and bright. More thing happen as you progress through the song. The interactive game that goes along with ‘Lights’ fits very rightfully with the song. To experience this online pheromone simply visit lights.elliegoulding.com!

The RiffRaff

Open Mic at The RiffRaff, an Art Collective located at 865 Mercer St. in Princeton, WV, is an “artistic haven” according to Lori McKinney-Blankenship, where artistic talents of all types are welcomed, encouraged and respected.

Lori McKinney-Blankenship, along with the help of her husband Robert Blankenship opened The RiffRaff in 2006, making it a mere five years old, with the goal of giving back to the community, in an artistic way.

McKinney-Blankenship responded, “I grew up here, this is my hometown. I went away, studied theatre, and spent a summer abroad in London. The way the culture was shaped by the arts really affected me” when asked about what had motivated her to start The RiffRaff. She continued by saying “The fact that the community had access to art was something I recognized to be very valuable. After graduation, I searched for artists to work with, and hit the jackpot with creative collaborators. We wanted to make a difference in our community.”

Their desire to make a difference in their community was the building block to The Riff Raff. At open mic night, people are encouraged to make their way towards the stage, and to share their artistic talents with people who help form a supportive and welcoming group of people. All types of art are welcomed at The Riff Raff, according to McKinney-Blankenship, “Visual, literary, performing, healing, and theatrical. All types of creativity are welcome.”

The RiffRaff supplies people with a place to communicate with people whom they share things in common with. McKinney-Blankenship stated, “We’ve seen tons of young artists come in. Their creative lives are shaped by it. Waves of artists come at a time. It’s like eras of time. It’s always exciting,” she went on to say that “a few have really made it their identity, and taken advantage of the opportunities. Our door is open for you to make it your own.”

What falls under the category of making The RiffRaff your own? Well, at The RiffRaff, you are encouraged to share your art with other people. Diversities of art are welcome, encouraged and respected at The RiffRaff.

If you’re interested in starting or being in a band, The RiffRaff is a great place to meet people. McKinney-Blankenship said, “If you want to find a band, come to open mic. You’ll find musicians to perform with. Once you’re ready to record music, talk to us and we’ll get you started” when asked about how people could go about starting a band, and recording their music at the recording studio at The RiffRaff.

The RiffRaff gives people the opportunity to meet other artists, and to make friends with whom they have things in common with. McKinney-Blankenship said that “If you’re an artist or really creative person, and you’ve been looking for people to relate to, be friends with, you’ll find them here.”

For more information on The RiffRaff visit their website at theriffraff.net!